Their Night
by Wyrmseeker
Summary: The night before sailing to the Dread Isle, the army holes up in a fort to rest and prepare themselves. On this, their last night, they have one final opportunity to be with the ones they care about. The question is, who will do so? FE7, many pairings.
1. Fort Feran

_6:37 PM_

The front hall was impressive. Jeffrey had to admit that the Ostians certainly knew their stuff when it came to anything military. Fort Feran was comparatively small, but the architects had managed to get all they could out of the limited space. The front hall could be used for meetings, meals, shows, and probably much more. As such, it was designed with beauty in mind—or at least as much beauty as would befit a fort. The fluted pillars, the large table, the paintings on the walls—they all had a strange sort of spartan elegance to them, combining pleasantry with practicality. It was a nice balance, and Jeffrey admired the men who had managed to come up with it. He even noted that the ceiling had a acoustic slant to it, probably to ensure everyone could hear someone giving a toast or marching orders.

Footsteps distracted him from his study of the room's shape. He turned to see the three Lycian lords enter the hall. Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood all crossed over to him, wearing their own somber expressions. Jeffrey nodded at them. "Well?" he asked.

"It looks like Hector was right," Lyn said. "The Ostians have kept this fort in remarkably good shape. The rooms are almost entirely intact, and most of them even have mattresses. A few of the doors have begun to rust, but other than that, this fort's almost as good as new."

"The food coffers are empty," Eliwood added. "If there was anything there, it was probably pilfered by thieves. But since we just restocked in Ostia, it shouldn't matter. We can keep the troops fed for days if we have to."

Jeffrey nodded, understanding the subtext to Eliwood's statement. No matter what happened, they only had a few days left. "So you find the fort to be satisfactory?"

The lords all nodded.

"Excellent," Jeffrey said, smiling. "I'll inform the troops we'll be staying here. You three should choose some rooms for yourselves, maybe assign others to the units."

Hector bit his lip. "All right," he said.

Jeffrey lifted an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Hector paused before shaking his head. "Never mind," he said. "We'll figure it out."

"All right," Jeffrey sighed. He knew better than to argue with someone who weighed twice as much as he ever would. He turned and left the hall.

Lyn looked around the large room, and sighed. "I think I'll be on my way, too."

"Where are you going?" Eliwood asked as she started toward the door.

"Outside," was all Lyn said before disappearing.

Eliwood and Hector looked at each other. "So," Eliwood said, "Room assignments...?"

* * *

_6:40 PM_

The first person Jeffrey saw was Guy. The myrmidon was seated on a tree stump near the fort's gate, looking out into the forest they had crossed to get there. Jeffrey called to him as he approached. "Guy! Look alive!"

The Sacaen swordsman turned his head, quickly rising as he saw the tactical expert approach. "Jeffrey!" he said, moving forward. "What's going on?"

"We're staying here," Jeffrey said. "Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector all looked it over, and they deemed it satisfactory, so I need to let everyone know." He looked around. "Speaking of which, where are they?"

Guy looked over his shoulder, and realized that he and Jeffrey were the only ones in sight. He looked back at the tactician. "Um... I think they may be in the fort already..."

Jeffrey sighed. "Wonderful. After we asked them to wait until we checked it out first."

"Well, they weren't setting up their rooms or anything," Guy said defensively. "Most of them just wanted to check it out. They weren't going to stay if you said we couldn't. They're not stupid." He paused. "...mostly."

Jeffrey suppressed a smile. "So you have no idea where they are now?"

Guy pointed. "Some of the riders went over to the stables," he said. "And I'll bet you'd find Rebecca, Lowen, and Merlinus in the dining hall."

Jeffrey shook his head. "I just came from there."

"Ah." Guy glanced around once more. "In that case, no, I have no idea where they are now."

Jeffrey sighed. "Well, thanks anyway. I guess I'll start at the stables, and find the others later." He turned to go, waving at Guy as he headed toward the stables.

Guy sat back down on his tree stump, but got back up an instant later as he heard another set of footfalls approaching, although these were much lighter, barely audible even to the trained ear of a Kutolah warrior. He looked around to see Lady Lyndis emerge from the front entrance of the fort, moving with the light, stealthy walk of a woman of the Lorca. She stopped just outside, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. The look of discomfort she had been wearing melted away, replaced by one of complacence and happiness.

Guy took a tentative step forward, then began walking toward her; unlike her, he made enough noise that she opened her eyes at the sound of his approach. She smiled upon seeing him. "Guy!" she said pleasantly. "What are you doing here?"

"The same as you, I wager," Guy answered, returning her smile. "Enjoying the outdoor air."

Lyn sighed, turning to the woods. "I don't think 'enjoying' is the right word," she said. "It's full of all these strange scents. Tree sap, leaves and needles, animal leavings..."

Guy nodded. "The winds of Sacae are much clearer, for sure. Still," he added cheerily, "It beats that stuffy air inside, correct?"

Lyn smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose it does." She walked forward, away from the building. "It _is_ nice out here."

Guy looked at her, seeing the sense of longing hidden in her eyes. "Hey, Lyn?"

"Yeah?"

"You miss Sacae, don't you?"

Lyn sighed. "With every waking moment." She smiled at him. "And even a few moments I spend asleep."

Guy laughed softly at the joke. "I miss it, too. When this is all over, I'm headed straight back to the Kutolah. I've improved my sword arm so much, I doubt they'll recognize me."

Lyn nodded, but remained silent. Guy looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I forgot that you... the Lorca..."

"It's okay, Guy," Lyn said, holding up her hand to silence him. "That's... that's not it."

"Oh?" Guy stepped closer. "What is it, then?"

Lyn hesitated for a second, then turned from him, shaking her head. "Nothing," she said. "Thanks for talking to me, Guy, but I really should go."

Guy put a hand on her shoulder. "Go where?" he asked.

She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling once more. "Wherever I find myself when I stop walking."

Guy hesitated a moment, but released her and returned her smile. "Spoken like a true Sacaen," he said.

Lyn only nodded before turning and walking toward the forest.

* * *

_6:46 PM_

"The fort faces south," Eliwood said as he followed Hector through the halls of Feran. "We can assign the women to west wing quarters, and keep all the men in the east wing..."

Hector looked over his shoulder at his friend. "Are you serious, Eliwood? You really think we should assign people to rooms?"

"Do you?" Eliwood asked.

Hector grumbled something under his breath as he turned back down the hall. "Why bother? They're big boys now. They can figure out who they want to stay with."

Eliwood allowed himself a small smile. "I suppose it does seem like a lot of trouble, doesn't it?"

"I go through all the trouble of bringing you guys to this fort," Hector grumbled, "And all Jeffrey can say is 'figure out the room assignments.' That seem fair to you?"

Eliwood laughed softly, then brushed his red hair aside and looked at his friend, his smile fading. "Hector."

Hector came to a stop, turning to face his friend. "Yeah?"

Eliwood lowered his eyes. "It may..." He cleared his throat. "At the very least, it may be wise to divide the men from the women for the night."

Hector shut his eyes, turning away. "Dammit, Eliwood," he said, leaning against the wall. "I do _not_ want to have this conversation with you."

"Think about it," Eliwood insisted, drawing closer. "We don't need emotions getting in the way of the battle tomorrow. We can't have people trying to take advantage of the fact that this could be their last night together."

"_Could_ be," Hector echoed. "They don't know it."

A grave look crossed Eliwood's eyes. "We know little about the trials we'll face tomorrow, but I doubt even the most optimistic of our group would expect zero casualties."

"Maybe not," Hector answered quietly. "But maybe so. You, Jeffrey, Lyn and I have done a pretty damn good job so far."

"Not good enough," Eliwood said, almost too soft for his friend to hear.

Hector turned to him, eyes wide with understanding. "So _that's_ what's bothering you."

Eliwood's face darkened. "I..." He shook his head. "That's not relevant. As I said, people might feel compelled to do things tonight they would never do otherwise. And the last thing I want to have to deal with tomorrow is a heart broken by rejection."

"Rejection," Hector echoed. He leaned back against the wall. "Rejection. Our men face down the most powerful enemy soldiers without flinching, without running, even when their life seems to be in peril. But rejection—they're scared to death of it, scared to death of the very idea..."

"Hector?" Eliwood took a step forward. He had never expected to hear such words coming from Hector's mouth.

The Ostian lord took a deep breath, standing up straight and looking Eliwood in the eye once more. "Look," Hector said, "you're right. I don't want to have to send a man onto the battlefield when he's been left a sobbing wreck by a girl who turned him away during what could be the last time they saw each other. But at the same time, it's the only way we're going to get all the fight out of them that we can."

Eliwood gave his friend a puzzled look.

"Think about it," Hector continued. "If a man goes to see a woman, tells her he loves her, and gets rejected, then yeah, he's going to feel awful—for a while, at least. But imagine how much more awful he'll feel if he thinks he's riding to his death before he got a chance to tell her." He took a breath. "The ones who get rejected—at least they'll feel something of a sense of closure. And the ones who don't, if there are any, will feel like they have something to fight for—and, more importantly, something to live for."

Eliwood nodded slowly. "I... think I see what you mean..."

"Hell," Hector breathed, "if I saw someone moping because they didn't know how someone else feels about them, I'd give them a smack on the head and tell them to go ask. This is their last chance, after all... their last night."

"And we can't deny them their night," Eliwood concluded.

Hector was slightly taken aback, but nodded slowly after a moment. "...yeah," he said. "That's exactly it. Their night."

Eliwood nodded. "You'll... you'll have to excuse me for what I said earlier," he said. "I understand now, and I agree with you."

Hector gave him an odd look. "You sure? You still seem a little..."

"I'm sure," Eliwood replied, a degree of warmth returning to his voice. "I'm just sorry I bothered you about it."

Hector smiled at him. "Well, never you mind," he said. "If you find yourself thinking about tomorrow, just think about the big victory party we'll have in Badon after we win."

Eliwood didn't even try to suppress his smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Hector patted his friend on the shoulder before continuing down the hall; Eliwood stood in place, watching him go. As Hector vanished around a corner, he repeated, "I'll keep that in mind." The warmth was gone from his voice, and all that remained was a tinge of loneliness.


	2. Sunsets

_8:21 PM_

Sain walked quickly along the fort's western battlements, wearing a large smile and a twinkle in his eyes as he approached his quarry. "Dame Fiora!" he called brightly. "Why, for a moment I thought the sun was still up, so radiant is your countenance!"

Fiora didn't even try to suppress her smile. "It's not that dark out, Sain," she said, turning to look at him from where she stood. "And the sun_ is_ still up."

Sain looked out to the west, where the shimmering orb was just beginning to sink beneath the horizon. "So it is," he noted. "In that case, dear Fiora, I humbly beseech you to remain here and watch it with me!"

Fiora glanced over at him. "I... I don't know, Sain. I have a lot of work to do, and..."

"It can wait for a few minutes," Sain said, taking gentle hold of her arm. "Please. I've already besought you; I'd have to move on to begging next."

Fiora smiled again. "All right," she said. "You win."

She let Sain's arm drape around her shoulders as the two turned back to the west, leaning on the battlements as they gazed out to the horizon. The bright reds and yellows tore through the atmosphere, bathing the two watchers in a crimson sheen as they looked on. The chill of the oncoming night was ineffective on them; their hearts were already warmed simply by the experience of being there together.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Fiora breathed, her eyes reflecting the scarlet of the sinking sun.

"Not half as magnificent as you," Sain responded, mentally kicking himself for using such an obvious, unoriginal, and overall mundane line.

Fiora smiled, though; Sain could tell she was holding back laughter. Perhaps it hadn't been _too_ bad a line; it was better than nothing, at any rate, or so he hoped.

"In Ilia, the sun would always set much earlier than this," Fiora continued. "It becomes dark while people are still tending the fields, or flying over the mountains. Sunset brings darkness, which brings danger; everyone scrambles to finish their work when the light begins to fade. But this..." Sain felt her shoulders relaxing under his arm. "This is so much different. There's none of the danger, none of the urgency. It's almost... romantic."

_Almost?_ Sain thought, somewhat offended. But he didn't express it outwardly. "I would imagine," he said, "That a sun setting over Ilian mountains would be even more magnificent than this."

Fiora nodded. "Perhaps. But it gets so dark so quickly afterwards, you don't have much time to appreciate it." She shifted a little, still allowing Sain to keep his arm around her. "I wonder if it's any better in Bern... they don't have to worry about cold or darkness as much as we do."

_Bern?_ Sain wondered. _What a very odd thing to mention... where is she going with this?_

"Sain," Fiora said, breaking into his thoughts, "May I ask you something?"

"Always." Sain elected to keep his speech more or less normal for the time being, until he could recover from his earlier bungle.

She shifted her position on the battlement's wall, gazing at Sain. "What can you tell me about Heath?"

Sain leaned back, looking at his companion in surprise. "Heath? The wyvern rider?" It wasn't necessarily the _last_ thing he had expected to talk about, but it certainly had caught him off-guard.

"Right," Fiora said. "What do you know about him?"

Sain turned back to the still-setting sun, shoving his surprise aside as he regained his noble demeanor. "If you are considering him as a love rival for me," he said, "then you should know that he is a scoundrel, a scalawag, and all sorts of amoral things that begin with 'sc'."

Fiora's widening grin prompted him to continue: "He keeps a girl in every town, but is simultaneously unable to please any one of them. He is completely without scruple; why, his level of knavery has only been reached by the most despicable of our enemies." He thought for a moment. "And possibly Matthew. Which reminds me..." he checked his pocket, retrieving a few gold coins. "Good. He hasn't picked it yet tonight."

Fiora was almost lost in a fit of giggles by now, but the pegasus knight was seasoned enough to regain her composure quickly. "In all seriousness, though," she said, "what kind of man is he?"

"Well, as I said-"

"And no, I'm _not_ considering him as a love rival for you," she added, then under her breath: "It wouldn't be much of a contest anyway."

Sain ignored that last quip. "Well, in all seriousness, Heath is nearly as good a man as they come. He may have been traveling with a band of blackguards when we found him, but he quickly switched to the right side." He glanced down at Fiora. "Do you remember who he tried to surrender to?"

Fiora nodded, smiling fondly. "Ninian. It was so odd... she, entirely without weapons or armor, leading a soldier and his wyvern up to Lord Hector to surrender."

"Precisely," Sain said. "Heath couldn't bring himself to harm women and children for the sake of money. Since then, he's only proved to us more and more how honorable he is, always putting the lives of others—especially civilians—before his own. He's even been speaking to Kent and I about joining the knights of Caelin once this is over." He took a deep breath. "I suppose, after tomorrow, he'll get his chance."

He chose not to add "if we succeed."

Fiora nodded, gazing into the distance. The sun was now barely visible above the woods surrounding Feran; in another few moments, it would be gone. "You seem to admire him," she said.

"Well, he doesn't have half the virtues_ I_ do," Sain replied with an exaggerated flourish, "But as I've said, he's a good man."

Fiora nodded again, still wearing the same pensive, distant look. Sain peered closer at her. "Fiora?"

"Hm?" She still didn't take her eyes from the setting sun.

"Why are you asking all this about Heath? Has he done something wrong?"

Fiora hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "No. No, he... he hasn't." She let out a heavy sigh.

"What's the matter?" Sain asked, his voice becoming soft as he held Fiora closer.

She finally looked at him, a somewhat sad expression barely visible in her eyes. "It's nothing," she said after a long hesitation. "I'm just... curious. He's been flying alongside my sisters and I ever since he joined, and I just realized I knew nothing about him, so..."

Sain nodded, letting her think he believed her obvious lie. He did notice how her voice changed when she said the words "my sisters," though.

"Look," Fiora said softly, her gaze returning to the horizon. "It's almost over."

Sain also looked toward the west, but his eyes rested on the shimmering sun only long enough to see it sink beneath the treetops before falling again on Fiora. "Well?" he asked. "Still think it's 'almost' romantic?"

Fiora laughed aloud, not trying to suppress it this time. She looked up at Sain, smiling. "Loathe as I am to admit it," she said, "I did enjoy that. Thank you, Sain."

"It was my pleasure," he said, bowing deeply. "I don't suppose I could convince you to stay here with me any longer?"

Fiora shook his head. "I need to go now. There's... there's something I need to do before I can sleep tonight." She sighed. "And I'll need to be well-rested for the battle tomorrow."

Sain sighed deeply, leaning against the wall. "I will suffer greatly each moment we are parted," he said, "but I will take comfort in the knowledge that it will make our reunion that much sweeter."

Fiora smiled. "Or you'll just find some other girl and bug her instead."

"Hey!" Sain got up, meaning to protest, but it was too late; Fiora was already walking off, laughing. He sighed again, leaning back against the battlements; he should probably let her go, for now.

He looked over his shoulder, down the western wall, to see a red-haired maiden wandering around outside the fort. She happened to look up, and their gazes met. Priscilla gave a soft smile, and waved up at him; Sain responded with a bold grin and a wave of his own. But even from high up on the battlements, Sain saw something more in Priscilla's gaze, something he knew she could see in his.

_Loneliness,_ he thought. _We are surrounded by friends, comrades, and even potential lovers, but we still look inside and find ourselves to be lonely._

He looked down the battlements to where Fiora had gone as she left. "Fly away from me if you must," he muttered, quoting a line he had said to her long ago. "But to shine so beautifully as you go... how cruel, my love, how cruel!"

* * *

_8:11 PM_

"Hello, Heath," Priscilla called brightly as she walked toward the unsuspecting wyvern knight.

Heath jumped at the sound of her voice, nearly hitting his head on the stone ceiling of the hallway. He spun around to face her and let out a breath he had been holding. "Priscilla! I'm sorry, milady, I didn't..." He did his best to regain his composure. "I thought you were someone else."

Priscilla lifted an eyebrow at the statement. "Really? Who?"

"It's not important," Heath said, futilely attempting to keep his tone casual, though Priscilla could hear the anxiety behind it. "What can I do for you, milady?"

Priscilla pursed her lips. "For one thing," she answered, her voice softening, "You can stop calling me 'milady.' As I've told you before, we're both part of the same army. You should treat me as another soldier... as a friend."

Heath smiled at her. "My apologies, mi... Priscilla. I never meant any offense. You are a friend, and always will be."

A wave of relief washed over Priscilla as she heard those words, but at the same time, there was something behind them... something that made her the slightest bit apprehensive, yet she couldn't quite identify it. Doing her best to shake it off, she asked: "So how are you?"

"I'm fine," Heath said, obviously lying. He still had anxiety in his tone, and kept glancing over his shoulder down the hallway.

"No, you're not," she said firmly. "What's wrong?"

Heath looked down. "It's..."

She frowned at him. He could obviously tell that she knew there was something wrong with him, but he still seemed reluctant to tell her.

"It's nothing," he said after a long pause.

Priscilla let out a sad sigh. "Heath, please? Just tell me..."

"It's nothing," he repeated, his voice strong and confident—but no more convincing than it had been before. "Hey, I should get going. Hyperion was so exhausted when we got here, he went straight to sleep when I put him in the stable, but he's bound to be awake and hungry by now. I'd better go feed him before he decides to raid Merlinus's stores again."

Priscilla hesitated a moment before giving a reluctant smile. "All right," she said. "I'll see you later."

Heath smiled back, and waved over his shoulder as he walked down the hall. Priscilla frowned at his retreating back. _Some_thing was definitely wrong, yet he didn't want to tell her...

_Have I been wrong about him?_ She wondered. _Is it possible he...?_

She pushed the thoughts from her mind. It didn't matter, really. As Heath had said, she was a friend. He was bound to tell her eventually. ...she hoped.

Priscilla turned and went the opposite way from where Heath had gone. A few minutes later, she emerged into the courtyard, and moved to the center where a long-haired, blue-robed swordsman was practicing on a straw dummy. Priscilla was sure to make enough noise that he heard her approach; he turned to face her, and responded with a look of mild surprise. "Priscilla?" Guy asked, peering at her. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you," Priscilla replied. "What are you doing?"

Guy blushed slightly, and turned back to the dummy, raising his sword. "Training," he said, a little too quickly.

"Oh," Priscilla said. She came up close to him, and lowered her voice. "Nervous about tomorrow?"

Guy lowered his eyes, and the tip of his sword dropped to the ground as well. "I... I guess..."

Priscilla lowered her gaze as well, a somber mood descending over her. "I can understand why. I don't suppose anything I say will make a difference, but-"

"Actually," Guy interrupted, turning to face her with a blank expression, "Let's not talk about it, okay?" He turned back to the dummy. "I guess I'm doing this partly to keep my mind off things."

"I'm sorry," Priscilla said sincerely. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's all right." Guy's voice was softening again. He looked at her over his shoulder. "It's not your fault, anyway. It's not just the battle tomorrow. I'm sparring with Lyn later tonight, and I want to make sure I don't make a fool of myself."

"Oh?" Priscilla stepped back. "With Lyn?"

"Yeah," Guy said, smiling nervously. "I finally got my courage up enough to challenge her this evening. We won't actually battle for another hour or two, but..." he shook his head. "If you've seen Lyn in action lately, you'd understand why I'm so nervous."

"I have," Priscilla said, smiling. Guy was right; he _did_ have reason to worry. "But if it's just a sparring match, it shouldn't matter much, right?"

"Well, I..." Guy hesitated. "I sort of want to make a good impression..."

A look of understanding passed over Priscilla's face. "Oh..."

"No!" Guy said quickly upon seeing her expression. He turned to face her. "It's not like that! I..." He shook his head. "It's sort of a long story."

Priscilla lifted her hand, paused for a moment, and then placed it on Guy's shoulder as she smiled. "In that case, why don't you tell me about it some other time, when you're done training?"

Guy let out a sigh of relief as he returned her smile. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll see you then." With that, he turned back to the dummy. As Priscilla backed away, he cast one last smile back at her before laying into the dummy.

Priscilla left the courtyard, passing through the fort briefly before emerging outside. She just walked around Feran for some time, doing her best to shake the uneasy feeling descending on her. So what if Guy and Heath had better things to do than speak to her? Perhaps now, on this penultimate night, they just wanted to be alone...

A strange noise drew her out of her thoughts; she looked around to see Erk muttering something under his breath, eyes shut with concentration. The young mage, Nino, sat next to him, looking at him intently as he spoke. At last he opened his eyes, and looked at her; she responded with a shake of her head and a patronizing smile. Erk let out an exasperated sigh, and started to close his eyes again when he caught sight of Priscilla. He flashed a smile and brief wave at her; Nino followed his gaze, and waved to Priscilla as well. The healer smiled back at them. Erk nodded his acknowledgment before shutting his eyes again, and Priscilla continued her walk around the fort.

She didn't know what was going on. At the moment, she didn't care, either. Seeing Erk and Nino together had clinched it for her. Heath was too apprehensive about something to talk to her. Guy was training for a sparring match with Lyn. And now Erk was with Nino, perhaps practicing magic; in any case, he was too busy to notice Priscilla. No matter how much the healer told herself she didn't care, it was a lie.

She leaned against the west wall of Feran, and noticed the sun was setting. It would have been the perfect thing to watch with someone—if she had someone. Yet here she was, alone. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly alone.

She looked up, noticed Sain on the battlements, and waved up to him. Sain responded with a bold grin and wave of his own. The gesture made Priscilla feel a little better, but the unshakable feeling of loneliness still hung on her shoulders.


	3. Magic Practice

_8:05 PM_

"Lady Lyndis, Lord Eliwood, and I have approved this fort," Erk said, pacing back and forth in his room. "We'll be staying here for the night after all. Be sure to get to sleep quickly; I want you all well-rested tomorrow. We'll need to pack up and get ready to march to Badon early in the morning."

He took a breath. "We're going to let you pick your own rooms. You'd better get to it. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that Feran has enough rooms that everyone should be able to have their own, although you can share if you really want to."

He stopped, thinking carefully about what he had just said. Eventually, he shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis, and I..." he bit his lip. "Damn! Why can't I get it?" He tried again: "Lady Lyndis, Lord Eliwood, and I have approved... Have _all_ approved..."

A knock at his door jolted him from his thoughts. He let out a heavy sigh, and called "Come in."

Hector pushed the door open, peering at the mage quizzically. "Erk?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"What are you doing? I could hear you from outside."

"I'm repeating your speech from earlier. Or at least, I'm trying." He shook his head at the lord. "I don't think I'm getting it just right. Here, listen." He cleared his throat. "Lady Lyndis, Lord Eliwood, and Lord Hector have given this fort their approval..." he looked at the Ostian expectantly. "Well?"

Hector gave him a puzzled look. "Well what?"

"Was that right? Was I saying your words, exactly?"

Hector's brow furrowed. "Uh... I don't... know...?"

Erk let out an agitated sigh. "How can you not know? It was your own speech!"

"It wasn't even a speech!" Hector responded, indignant. "I just made it up on the spot! How the hell am I supposed to remember something like that an hour after the fact?"

Erk looked away, biting his lip. "I... I apologize, my lord. It was out of place for me to snap at you like that."

Hector sighed, shaking his head. "Erk?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"_Why_ were you trying to repeat it word-for-word?"

"I wanted to see if I remembered it," the mage replied. "If I could reproduce it exactly after hearing it just once."

Hector shut his eyes for a moment before looking at the mage again. "And why did you want to do that?"

Erk frowned. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No," Hector said firmly, "It isn't."

Erk nodded slowly. "Well," he said tentatively, "If I could remember your speech after hearing it once, and reproduce it exactly from memory, I might be able to do the same thing with the chants involved in casting a spell."

A blank pall fell over Hector's face, but only for a moment; it withdrew as the lord began to wrap his mind around what Erk had said. "You mean..." he closed his eyes in concentration. "You'd be able to listen to an enemy mage casting a spell, memorize the chants, and then you could cast the spell yourself?"

Erk hesitated for a second. "It's not... quite that simple," he said eventually. "But it would enable me to decipher the chant quickly, meaning I could track the individual flows of magical energy throughout the spell. Then all I'd need is a tome powerful enough to direct those flows without breaking under the strain."

The blank look returned to Hector's face; Erk suppressed a smile. "So yes," he said, "I could cast the spell on my own."

"Good," Hector said, his expression returning to normal. "I'll take your word on whatever you just said. Carry on."

Erk couldn't stop the smile this time. "Thank you, my lord," he said with a slight bow.

As soon as Hector had gone, Erk set himself back to work. "Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis, and I have all approved this fort. We'll be saying here for the night after all." He shook his head again. "Wait... would Lord Hector say 'we have all' and then 'after all,' or would that sound too awkward? Is that what he said or..." he collapsed on his bed with a heavy sigh. "Gaah! If Nino can do this, why can't I?"

Another knock. He groaned audibly as he rose from the bed. "Come in," he called, his voice laden with weariness.

The figure that entered made him wish he hadn't given permission. "Serra?" he asked warily. "What are you doing here?"

For once, however, his cleric companion was nearly silent. She had her head down, and was peering up at him under her flowing lavender hair. "Can I come in?" she asked after a long pause.

Every part of Erk wanted to say _No._ "Yes," he said, without hesitation, or understanding.

She entered slowly, shutting the door softly behind her. "I'm sorry to bother you," she said, her voice unusually soft. "I just—I needed someone to talk to, and after thinking long and hard about it, I realized... Erk, you're the best friend I have in this group." She hesitated for a moment; when she spoke again, it was with a quaver in her voice. "Quite possibly, my only friend."

_Oh Elimine, she's going to cry,_ Erk thought. But even so, part of him felt sorry for her. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

She sat down next to him on the bed. "It's tomorrow," she said. "I'm worried about tomorrow."

Erk smirked. "You and everyone else," he said. Seeing her face upon hearing this instantly made him wish he hadn't said it. "That is to say, you're not alone in this, Serra."

"Yes, I am!" she suddenly exclaimed. She buried her face in her hands. "I'm alone," she continued, barely suppressing a sob, "And I'm only just now realizing that. I'm thinking about everyone. I see you all out there—you with Nino, Bartre with Karla, Lyn with Guy..."

"Wait, wait, wait, _wait,_" Erk interrupted. "Lyn with _Guy_?"

"Yes," Serra said, looking up at him. "Didn't you see them? They were talking together outside the front gate about an hour ago."

Erk sighed. "You might be reading too far into that, Serra. Just because they're talking doesn't mean they're..." he trailed off. "Wait, you think that Nino and I are..."

"It doesn't matter," Serra said quickly, turning away from him. "What I mean is... this is our last night together. And everybody has somebody. Not necessarily somebody they _love_," she added before Erk could protest, "but somebody. A friend to hold them and tell them it'll be OK. And I began thinking of who I could go to, and I realized..." she sniffled. "I realized I don't have _anyone_. You're the closest thing to a friend I have, Erk—and you _hate_ me."

Erk wanted to say "I don't _hate_ you," but for some reason couldn't bring himself to do it. He tried to scoot a little closer to her. "Serra, don't talk like that," he said. "That's not possible. There has to be _some_body who likes you."

"Really?" she sniffed, looking back at him. "Who?"

He fell silent. She buried her face in her hands again. "I _knew_ it!" she sobbed. "Nobody likes me!"

_Crap in a bucket, now what am I supposed to do?_ Erk wondered. Reluctantly, he put his arm around her. "It's all right," he said softly.

"No, it isn't," she muttered. "This is all my fault. I thought I could make them all like me... but now they all hate me, and..."

"They can't _all_ hate you," Erk interjected.

"Yes, they do!" she insisted. "Even Vaida hates me, and I never did anything to her!"

"Vaida hates _everyone_," Erk replied. But he could tell it wasn't going to appease Serra.

"I should have changed," Serra muttered.

"What?"

"I should have realized that they all hated me. I should have tried to change so that they wouldn't hate me anymore." She looked up at him. "I can do that, right? I can change who I am."

"You can..." Erk sat back, thinking. "Yeah, I suppose you can," he said. "But why on earth would you _want_ to?"

"What?" Serra asked, surprised and somewhat offended. "Haven't you been listening?!"

"Of course I have. You're worried you have to change yourself to make people like you."

"Right..."

"And I ask, why should you have to?"

"But people don't get along with me..."

"Frankly, Serra, that's more of their problem than yours," Erk said, shrugging. He shifted in his chair. "Sometimes, you may not 'get along' with people as much as you'd like, but trying to change yourself would only make things worse. Maybe people would like you more, but you'd be lying to them—and, more importantly, lying to yourself. The person they get along with wouldn't really be you. That's not to say that change is bad, but if you want a friend, trying to change the fundamentals of who you are is not the way to go about it."

Serra furrowed her brow. "But then—well, what am I supposed to do, then?"

"Think about it," Erk continued. "A friend is someone who likes you for who you are. Someone who'll stand by you and help you out when you need it. Someone willing to listen, and occasionally, someone willing to talk back. You don't always have to get along with them; you just have to care about them. Think hard, Serra, and I'm sure you'll come up with somebody who does that."

Serra remained silent, then looked up into the distance. "I... I think maybe you're right..." she whispered.

Erk only looked at her tentatively.

She stood up at last. "I think you're right," she said, with much more authority in her voice. "There is someone who likes me for me. Someone I don't have to change for. Someone who I always feel so at home with, so wonderful around. I just never..." she trailed off, then gasped suddenly. "By Elimine, tomorrow we sail to the Dread Isle! This could very well be our last night together!"

"Well, yes," Erk said. "You said that already."

"I must go to him," she resolved. "I must tell him how I feel." She started towards the door, then quickly turned and took Erk's hand. "Thank you, Erk," she said, a smile returning to her face. "I can't tell you what you've done for me. I—thank you so much."

Erk was taken quite aback. "Uh... yes, you're welcome. Be careful out there."

She gave him a swift nod before darting out the door.

Erk sat in silence for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts and figure out why he had said what he said. Before long, yet another knock roused him from his stupor. "Yes?" he called, exasperated.

The lanky form of Matthew peeked inside. "Erk, did I just see Serra emerge from your room?"

The mage let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, Matthew. Yes, you did."

The thief came further in. "What was she doing here? I mean, I can understand the whole 'last night together' thing, but her...?"

"No!" Erk said sharply. He relaxed a little before continuing. "No, it wasn't like that at all. She was worried that, even after all this time, she didn't really have any friends in this army."

Matthew pursed his lips. "It's certainly hard to argue with that."

"So she asked me if she should try changing herself... if maybe that way, people would get along with her better."

Matthew arced an eyebrow. "And...?"

"And I said no," Erk sighed in response. "I told her, she shouldn't have to change for others; she should find someone who appreciates her for who she is."

There was a long pause. "I see," Matthew said slowly. "Erk, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"What in the name of all that is holy, and a good number of things that _aren't_ holy, is the matter with you?!"

"I don't know!" Erk cried, throwing up his arms. "I had a chance to get Serra to change, and I didn't take it! I must be insane!"

Matthew placed his hand over his eyes. "An opportunity wasted," he mumbled. "Well, hopefully I can catch up to her and convince her otherwise, before your words get set in her mind. See you later."

"Matthew," Erk called before the thief had a chance to leave. "Any idea what time it is?"

Matthew shrugged. "A little after eight, I think. Quarter after, maybe."

Erk swore. "I'm late! I'm supposed to meet Nino outside. She's helping me practice."

"Practice what?" Matthew asked. "From what I've seen, you're more powerful than she is."

"Yes, but she is able to learn spells without... you know what? It's complicated. I'll tell you later."

Matthew shrugged. "If you say so. I'd best be going." He vanished from the doorway.

Erk quickly gathered his things and rushed out the door, hoping Nino wouldn't be too unhappy with his lateness as he darted down the stairs to her.


	4. Fallen Darkness

_8:50 PM_

_5 Months Prior_

The night gave way to the light from Florina's torch as she winged her way across Badon. Huey was looking around apprehensively; he did not like night flying, especially when the ground was full of enemy mercenaries out for blood. Florina, by contrast, was completely relaxed. Her lack of tension helped to ease the pegasus; had it not been for her calmness, he would never have taken off in the first place. But with his rider's steady hands on the reins, Huey cut a straight path through the night toward the sounds of battle.

It wasn't long before the light of Florina's torch glinted off a quickly spinning blade. The sword's wielder was obviously engaged in combat with an antagonist, although it remained to be seen which of the fighters Florina should help. Still, she leaned closer to Huey's neck, and the pegasus sped up as it shot through the night. Soon, she got close enough to see Sain fighting valiantly against a spear-wielding, heavily-armored mercenary. Sain's sword rang uselessly against his foe's armor again and again, yet he pressed on, undeterred by the seeming futility of his attacks. Florina covered the torch as best she could and had Huey fly slowly and quietly, circling around behind the knight without being heard or seen. Then, as soon as they were in position, she had him turn sharply and dive forward, lance outstretched. The thin tip slid between the plates of the knight's armor, and he stumbled forward, collapsing in a heap at Sain's feet.

Sain looked up at the pegasus knight with an expression of surprise. "Dame Florina! Had I heard you coming, I would have given you the proper greeting that befits a maiden of your beauty!"

"If you had heard me coming, so would he," Florina said, half-smiling at him.

Sain brushed himself off and puffed his chest out. "Yes, well. Hrm. I was almost done with him anyway, but I'm glad you got to finish one of them yourself. It's good for your morale."

Florina giggled softly. Sain's overbearing manner once frightened her the same way all men did, but after a year spent working beside him in Castle Caelin, she had grown accustomed to it, and the two had become good friends.

"Now, then!" Sain cried, holding his blade over his head in an overly dramatic fashion. "Onward to victory!"

"Somebody help me!" a voice suddenly came from the night.

"On second thought, onward to assist whoever just called for help!" Sain cried again. He spurred his horse forward and rode toward the voice. Florina quickly followed.

Soon, the light of her torch revealed their tactician, Jeffrey, running as fast as he could. The young man stumbled through the night toward them. "Florina! Sain!" he shouted upon seeing them. "Get this guy off of me!"

Sain never got to ask "What guy?" as a stout, heavily-armed, ax-wielding mercenary materialized from the night, chasing after the frightened tactician. As soon as he saw the two knights riding towards him, he stopped in his tracks and dashed backwards as quickly as he could. Sain and Florina gave chase, though, and had soon caught up with him. Sain let out a cry as he raised his sword, charging forward; the enemy, however, knowing he could not escape, suddenly turned and swung with his ax. The blade impacted on Sain's armor, failing to wound him, but knocking him clean off his horse. The knight managed to let out a "Bugger!" as he landed heavily a few feet away, completely winded.

The mercenary rushed forward, intending to take full advantage of the situation, but instantly found himself having to duck under an oncoming pegasus. Florina and her mount wheeled around in the air, preparing for a second strike. He had regained his balance by then, though, and was able to sidestep her charge. Florina turned again, and saw the man had let his ax fall to the ground—and had instead pulled out a bow, one which he was beginning to aim at her.

Part of her panicked, but she had been in worse situations before. As he was aiming, she suddenly dropped from the air, urging more speed from Huey as she charged her enemy one last time.

"Florina!"

She suddenly spotted another winged blur appeared on her right, moving fast in her direction. It was too late to do anything about it; trying to dodge would leave her vulnerable to the mercenary. She leveled her lance and leaned down, coaxing the last bit of speed that Huey could muster, and hoping she could avoid the oncoming pegasus knight.

The sound of her lance piercing armor greeted her ears, and she pulled into the sky, leaving the mercenary motionless on the ground beneath her. Once she was sure she was out of danger, at least for the moment, she turned to look for the newcomer. "Fiora!" she said. "What are you doing here?"

"We've almost routed the enemy back on the east side of town," the other pegasus knight said as she brought her steed up alongside Huey. "But I saw that man taking aim at you, and I had to protect you!"

Florina sighed. "Sister, I appreciate your concern, but you nearly threw off _my_ aim. We are lucky that Huey was fast enough to dodge you, or I'd be in trouble right now."

Fiora gave her sister an odd look. "But, I just wanted to..."

"Never fear!" a boisterous cry rose up to them. "Florina was never in any danger, my fair lady! Even if she were not so amazingly skilled as to deal with that knave herself, the watchful eyes of Sir Sain are always upon her striking figure, ready to save her from whatever brigand dares to attempt harm upon her!"

Fiora glared down at the cavalier, who was trying to pick himself up off the ground and get back on his horse. "So you mean to tell me you've been ogling my sister the whole battle?"

"Um." Sain paused for a moment, looking around for an out. "Ah! Jeff! There you are!" He darted in the tactician's direction as Jeff came into the torchlight. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Jeff panted in response. "As long as Haru doesn't get angry with me for stealing his joke."

Sain gave him a thoroughly confused look. "...what?"

"Because you fell off your horse, and said... you know what? Forget it." Jeff waved up at the two Pegasus knights. "We should regroup at the inn. With any luck, Oleg will sit still long enough for us to raise a little money at the arena. See you girls back there." He turned and left, with Sain following quickly to avoid Fiora's hard stare.

The elder pegasus knight let out an exasperated sigh as she and Florina circled to the ground. "I can't see how you were able to put up with him all that time you stayed at Castle Caelin," she growled. "Or since then."

Florina let a small smile cross her face. "You worry needlessly, sister," she said. "Sain is harmless."

"_Harmless?_" Fiora cried. "He leers at everything that even appears feminine! And if he had his way, he would do a great deal more than that!"

"You judge him too quickly," Florina sighed. "As you said, I spent a year in Castle Caelin, and while I was there, I grew... comfortable. With him, and the others. Wil, Kent, Sain... they know me well enough to respect me, and over time, I grew to respect them as well."

Fiora shook her head. "You're not comfortable with men. Even since you left Caelin, I've seen you tremble when one got too close."

"Not men in general, no," Florina confessed. "But those few, they're my... my friends. And I know that they would never do anything to hurt me." She gestured in the direction the knight had retreated. "Even Sain."

Fiora crossed her arms. "I don't think you should be so trusting, especially around him."

"I know," Florina sighed. "But someday, I think he'll win you over too."

"I hope, when that day comes, you'll have enough love for me to put me out of my misery," Fiora sighed.

Florina couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"At any rate, we should make sure there are no more enemies in the area," Fiora went on. "You go back, I'll see if I can find anything."

"No," Florina said firmly. "We both look. I'll go east, you go west. Turn back before you get too close to Ogun's encampment."

Fiora sighed. "I suppose that, though I may be older, you have seniority in the army. Very well. But be careful. There may be a few more mercenaries hiding in the dark."

"I know, sister," she replied as she spurred Huey to take off. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself." They were soon airborne, and sped away into the darkness.

* * *

_8:50 PM_

_Tonight  
_

Florina looked at herself in the small mirror Serra had lent her. Her hair was clean, straight, and well-brushed. She was wearing her finest dress—well, rather, the finest one she had thought to get from Castle Caelin as they fled. But as she looked at herself more and more in it, she realized that it wasn't how she wanted to look right now. This was the appearance a girl would strive for on the eve of a grand ball, not the eve of a decisive battle. And she was not a girl anymore.

She turned away from the mirror, casting off the dress and leaving it forgotten on the cold floor of her room. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times, letting it return to its natural, wavy state. She had soon donned the simple dress she had worn through most of the war, complete with armor. Looking at herself once more in the mirror, she now saw a much more familiar face looking back.

She sat down on the bed, letting out a heavy sigh. The question weighing on her mind was, was a 'familiar' face the best one to be wearing tonight? What she intended to do was dangerous, risky, and unlike anything she had done before. She had no experience with this sort of thing; the fundamentals of her personality precluded her having any experience. But it was something that she wanted, needed, to do, and she had to do it tonight.

Because there might not be a night tomorrow. At least, not one that she would see.

She got up again. She had to do this. But she couldn't. Not yet, at least. She needed help, from someone who had been around longer than her. Someone older, wiser, possibly smarter.

Five minutes later, she was knocking on her sister's door. Farina appeared in front of her momentarily. "Florina!" she said brightly. "You seem well."

Florina took a step back. Her older sister was normally cheery, but seeing such a happy smile on a night like tonight was still a surprise. "As do you," she responded. "Very much so, in fact."

Farina shrugged as she opened the door to admit her sister. "Of course, I'm fine," she said. "Looking forward to the final battle?"

Florina looked at her sister quizzically as she entered the room. "Tomorrow we sail to the Dread Isle, to face an army of Nergal's most powerful morphs, and then Nergal himself."

"Right!" Farina replied. "And once we're through with them, I can finally spend some of my hard-earned gold!"

The younger knight let a small smile cross her lips. "Ah, I see now. You haven't changed a bit, sister."

"And why would I? You don't change perfection!"

Florina laughed aloud at that one. Farina smiled back at her. "It's good to see I can still put a smile on your face," she said. "Everyone seems so gloomy tonight."

Florina nodded. "Yes, well... as I said, we face near insurmountable odds tomorrow."

Farina sighed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Because we've never faced insurmountable odds before and come out on top. Right." She put her arm around her sister. "You know, with Jeff's help, Hector and Eliwood have kept us all safe so far. I see no reason to believe that'll change any more tomorrow than it has before."

Florina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "OK," she said softly. "I guess you're right."

"Well, now that that's out of the way, what brings you here?" Farina crossed the room and sat on her bed, looking up at her sister.

"I..." Florina paused for a moment. "I need some advice. From someone who's... had more experience with... certain... uh..." She bit her lip. "...you know..."

"I really _don't_," Farina sighed, trying to hide her impatience. "Look, just tell me. It can't be all that bad, and I do want to get to sleep _some_time tonight."

Florina turned away. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "This was a mistake. I... I don't even know why I'm thinking about this. I shouldn't..."

"Hey, wait," Farina said, rising from the bed. She put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You can tell me. Sometimes, it's just better to get things off your chest than to beat about the bush."

Florina sighed. "I'm afraid it's not that simple," she said. "I've never had to deal with this sort of thing before, and I honestly don't know who else to turn to."

"Ohh," Farina said suddenly, a look of realization crossing her face. She drew closer to Florina. "Is it a man?" she asked anxiously.

"What?" Florina cried, taking a step back. "No! I... well..." she lowered her eyes. "Yes, but..."

"I see," Farina said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Hmm. Someone in the army, I assume?

"Yes," Florina said softly. She tried not to meet her sister's gaze.

"Hey, don't worry," Farina said, lifting her sister's head. "We can deal with this."

"You think so?"

"Sure! Just tell me the room he's staying in, I'll grab Fiora, and we'll go teach him a lesson he won't forget." She cracked her knuckles enthusiastically.

Florina sighed. "Farina..."

"I know, I know," the blue-haired knight said, patting Florina on the back. "I'm just kidding." She sat down on the bed again. "But you _can_ deal with this. You've come a long way, Florina. I mean, you spent a year at Castle Caelin surrounded by men, and you came through just fine. Is this one guy really so much more threatening than Kent, Sain, or Wil?"

"No," she confessed. "But at the same time..." she shook her head. "You probably know him. He's-"

"Shh," Farina whispered, holding up her hand. "You don't need to tell me. Besides, it'd ruin the surprise."

Florina have her sister yet another odd look. "Surprise...?"

"It doesn't matter who this guy is," Farina went on, "as long as you care about him. And on this night, I think everyone likes to know somebody cares about them."

"So you're saying... I should just tell him, huh?"

"It's obvious, I know, but it works," Farina said, shrugging. "If you didn't want the direct approach, you should have gone to Fiora with this."

Florina bit her lip. "Fiora... is preoccupied right now. I... I don't want to disturb her."

"Hmm." Farina instantly knew her sister wasn't giving her the whole story, but chose not to press it. "Well, remember what I've told you. You've come a long way, and whoever this guy is, he's lucky to have you fancy him. Make sure he knows that."

Florina nodded. "I will. Thank you, sister."

"Hey, I didn't tell you anything you didn't know already," Farina replied.

Florina thought about it for a moment. "I guess not... but it sounds more believable when someone else says it."

"Just make sure he's good enough for you." She paused for a moment. "I wouldn't complain if he were rich, either."

"Farina..."

"I'm just saying. If this goes anywhere, Fiora and I might have to start negotiating your bride price. Let me see, 400,000 gold? No, that's far too little to take our precious Florina from us..."

"Farina!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" The blue-haired dame threw her arms up. "Sheesh! Can't anybody take a joke these days?"

Florina tried to suppress her giggling, and failed. "Thank you, sister. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," Farina replied, "you will. And the day after that, for the victory party."

"Of course," Florina said. She turned and left after flashing one last wave at her sibling.

Farina was right; she hadn't told Florina anything the younger knight hadn't known already. But with her sister's support, she now felt ready to face the daunting task ahead of her.


	5. Marriage

_9:01 PM_

Dorcas had always felt more at home outside. The house he and Natalie shared was comfortable enough, and he loved her more than he ever could the outdoors, but tonight, all he wanted to do as the sky grew dark was sit on the ground outside the gates of Fort Feran and look upwards. The forests, the mountains, the buildings changed from place to place; but the sky was the same. It gave him some comfort to know that at this moment, far away, Natalie was under the same sky, watching the same sun cast its last rays over the land as twilight laid claim to the heavens.

Still, those rays covered a great distance to reach them both at the same time. He was so far from his wife tonight. And this night...

"Ah!" a voice interrupted his thoughts like an ax breaking into a brittle log. "So good to see you up and about, friend Bartre! Might I sit and speak with you a moment?"

Dorcas looked around to see a large pile of robes topped off with a human head coming towards him. The man had a book slung under one arm, and what little light there was glinted off what Dorcas assumed was a monocle. He knew this man, although not very well.

He cleared his throat. "I fear you've confused me for my friend, Canas."

The scholar paused for a moment, studying the sitting figure more closely, before letting out an exclamation and continuing forward. "Ah! My apologies—er, Dorcas, was it? You are built much the same as Bartre, and it's quite dark out here."

Dorcas looked up at the night sky. "I know. You needn't worry about it. If you wish, you may still sit a while."

"Thank you," the scholar sighed as he sat down heavily next to Dorcas. "I must say, I've been quite busy tonight. I want to make sure everything's ready for the battle tomorrow."

Dorcas arched an eyebrow at him. "You're helping Jeff with the tactics?"

"Indeed!" Canas seemed exuberant that Dorcas was showing interest. "As I said when I first joined you good folk, I've been quite fascinated with the Dread Isle for some time now. The last time we were there, I was certain to take detailed notes. Obviously, Nergal's forces will be marshaled in much greater force and numbers than before, but I have a good idea of the layout and geography of the island, and I think I can help Jeff devise the best positions for our units to try and take out the enemy with minimal casualties." He paused to take a breath, and smiled to himself. "I must say, that youngster certainly knows his stuff. He must have had an excellent master to teach him so much of the tactical arts at such a young age?"

"I doubt that," Dorcas said passingly.

"Hm?" Canas looked at him. "Why is that?"

"Hm? Oh, well..." Dorcas took in a breath. "Years ago, when Lady Lyndis was trying to reclaim her throne, she and her knights ran afoul of some bandits I was working for in the mountains."

"Bandits?!"

"It's a long story. At any rate, Jeff was with them then, and he was... anything but an expert. I think his tactical proficiency now comes only from all the experience he's had on our journey here."

Canas reflected on that a moment. "Hm. You would think that Lords Eliwood and Hector would want someone more... experienced to lead a force like this one."

Dorcas shrugged. "Perhaps, but when they started out, they didn't realize they'd be fighting off anything but bandits, and by the time we discovered how deep the conspiracy went, Jeff had proven himself." He shrugged. "Besides, beggars can't be choosers—and ours isn't a very choosy army, in case you hadn't noticed."

Canas nodded. "That's certainly true. Quite an assortment we have here, eh?" He sat back, looking up at the ever-darkening sky. "But I can't complain about the results. Motley crew though we be, we've gotten this far, right? And Jeff's been with us the whole way." He smiled brightly at the twilight. "I'm sure we'll get through tomorrow all right, too. After all, I need to see my wife again."

That piqued Dorcas's interest. "You're married?" he asked.

Canas laughed. "I assure you, sir, I am not nearly as young as I may look—or act. I know that my curiosity can sometimes lead me to a rather... boyish enthusiasm regarding new pursuits. But nevertheless, I am indeed married."

Dorcas leaned back. "Hm. And here I thought I was the only one."

"Ah! You, too?" Canas exclaimed, looking over at him.

Dorcas merely nodded in response.

"Hah! I knew I couldn't be the only one in this army who was tied down!" He paused. "There's no other feeling in the world like it, is there?"

Dorcas smiled. He and the scholar may not have a lot in common, but there was at least one thing they could agree on.

"Bartre has spoken about you, but he never mentioned you were married," Canas went on. "He told me you were in the mercenary business for money, just like him."

"Did he, now?" Dorcas asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, my apologies. I wasn't prying or anything, he was simply making idle conversation. I have an excellent memory—well, most of the time, anyway—so I was able to recall it. But I suppose you were trying to raise money for your family, now that I think of it."

Dorcas nodded. "It's just my wife, but yes. I'm trying to raise as much money as I can for her. That's how I got mixed up with those bandits. I'm lucky I was able to find work with Lyn instead."

"I see, I see." Canas fell silent for a moment; when he spoke again, it was somewhat apologetic. "Erm... not to seem rude, but was it not possible to find work near your home? I'm sure there are ways of raising money that wouldn't take you so far from your wife—or put you in so much danger."

Dorcas shook his head. "I'd like to, but we need more money than that sort of work could ever give us."

Now Canas was intrigued. "What for?"

Dorcas was quiet.

"I mean... if I'm not being too rude by asking..."

"No, it's all right." Dorcas shifted in his seat. "Natalie... her leg is... hurt. It's a sickness she's had since childhood. I became a mercenary to try and raise enough money to get a doctor to have a look at it, and try and cure her." He sighed. "Actually, my retaining fee should be enough to cover the costs by this point. But now it's a matter of getting the money back to her."

"Well," Canas said, "After tomorrow, you'll be able to."

Dorcas didn't respond; he only wished he shared Canas's optimism. Instead, he changed the subject. "What about you?" he asked. "What lured you so far from your wife?"

"The same thing that has guided me for as long as I can remember," the scholar replied. "Curiosity, and a burning need to satisfy it. I've never been quite able to put my mind to rest, even after I fell in love with the most wonderful woman this planet has to offer. And so I set out in search of answers."

"Answers to what?" Dorcas asked.

"Anything. Everything." Canas let out a sigh. "Sometimes, I wish I could curb it, yet I always thirst for more knowledge. And I do hope to learn all I can. It's just..."

"You miss her," Dorcas surmised.

Canas lowered his eyes from the darkened sky. "Yes. Yes, I miss her. We were united by our love of knowledge, but now, to be separated by it..." he shook his head. "My appetite for learning may never be sated, but my appetite for adventure certainly has by now. I believe, after tomorrow, I will return to Ilia and spend the remainder of my days with my wife. There are still many questions, but if the answers are to be found, we will find them together."

Dorcas smiled. "Together," he echoed.

A sudden light in the twilight caught Canas's eye. "Ah!" he called. "The morning star!"

Dorcas looked up and followed the scholar's gaze. "Um... wouldn't that be the evening star?"

"Actually, my research indicates that the morning star and evening star are actually the same celestial body."

Dorcas raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes. It has to do with their relative positions to—ah, but there I go again," Canas said. "I must apologize, Dorcas. I find beauty in how the world works, and have made it my life's goal to seek out as much of that beauty as I can. To be able to look as something and deconstruct it in your mind, analyze it, find out what makes it tick..." he trailed off.

Dorcas shrugged. "You don't need to look _that_ deep for beauty, you know," he said, leaning back and looking up at the stars that began to appear. "All I have to do is stand atop a mountain to wonder at it."

"Yes, true," Canas conceded. "Yet I also cannot help but wonder about how the mountain got there..."

Dorcas paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, at any rate, there's one thing we can both find beauty in."

"What's that?"

"Our wives," Dorcas answered. "Our families."

Canas was silent for a moment, then leaned back and looked up at the stars, just as Dorcas was doing. A smile crept across his face. "Our families," he echoed. "Therein lies beauty, indeed."


	6. The Stables

_7:35 PM_

Lyn emerged from the forest. It had been a nice walk. As Guy had said, the forest was a far cry from the plains of their birth, but it still felt good to get away from the cold stone of Feran and walk among living things once again. Still, it made her yearn to hear the dried grass of Sacae crunch under her feet as she ran, free, across the plains.

But that was neither here nor there, she reflected sadly, as she approached the gates of Feran. She would have to win the battle tomorrow if she ever wanted to see Sacae again—if she even wanted there to be a Sacae to return to. She was a commander now. She had troops, responsibilities, and a war to win.

One of her troops was approaching now, in fact. Kent's usually neutral face was especially somber tonight, but he still greeted Lyn with a bow. "Lady Lyndis," he said. "I trust you are well?"

"I'm fine," Lyn sighed in response. "Just needed to get outside for a bit." She continued toward the fort, Kent falling in beside her. "How are things here?"

"All right, so far," Kent replied. "Everyone's settling in well. There are actually enough rooms that we think everyone can sleep on their own tonight, if they so desire."

"I see," Lyn said passively. She paused for a moment. "Wait, do you expect anyone to desire otherwise?"

"Well, we've been sharing tents for most of this campaign, so people could share rooms with someone if they're comfortable doing so." He hesitated before going on. "...also, Lord Hector told me about a conversation he had with Lord Eliwood. Apparently, Eliwood asked Hector to keep the sexes on different sides of the fort, to discourage... untoward behavior."

Lyn gave him a surprised look. "Really? That's odd. I always figured Eliwood as more easygoing than that." She let a small smile cross her face. "That sounds more like something you would say."

Kent pursed his lips, but said nothing. Even so, Lyn saw the discomfort on his face, and sighed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to pigeonhole you like that. Go on, please."

Kent straightened up a little, and his expression became less somber. "Hector disagreed with Eliwood. So it's entirely possible that people may choose to spend this night... together."

Lyn nodded. "I see."

Kent peered at her as they entered the front gates. "You disapprove?"

"No," Lyn said. "I think that all the rules are different tonight. Hector has the right idea. If we are to die tomorrow, we should let the units live on their last night."

"With all due respect, milady," Kent replied, grinning slightly "I'd much rather _not_ die tomorrow."

Lyn had to smile at that. "As would I, Kent." She sighed. "Still, that is strange..."

"What?"

"Eliwood. He seems to be very caring and understanding, yet he argued with Hector on this? I can understand the rationale behind separating the sexes, yet it still seems... uncharacteristic of him."

Kent nodded. "Hector felt the same way," he said. "He spoke to Sain and I on the matter, and asked if we could find anything out." He coughed slightly. "I was... hoping that you could talk to him. If something is wrong, he might be willing to tell you."

Lyn hesitated for a second, then nodded. "All right. If Eliwood needs help, I'm willing to give it. Where is he?"

Kent hesitated. "Um."

"Um?"

"The thing is, milady..." he shifted uncomfortably. "We don't know where he is. After Hector spoke to us, Sain and I got Wil and searched the entire fortress. Eliwood was nowhere to be found."

* * *

_7:04 PM_

"Hey, boy," Florina sighed, patting her pegasus on the nose. "You all right in here?"

Huey responded with an affectionate snort as Florina rubbed his snout. The stables of Feran were relatively spacious, and Huey had enough room to move around a little without feeling constricted. Immediately to his left and right, Fiora and Farina's pegasi were already starting toward sleep. Huey himself was a little more energetic, however; Florina guessed it would be several more hours before he considered sleeping. He was currently looking at Florina imploringly.

She smiled. "All right, all right." She reached into her bag, took out a few extra oats, and spread them on the floor. Huey immediately bent down and began to nibble at them, casting a thankful look up at his rider first.

Florina took a step back to watch him eat, when she suddenly felt something poke her in the backside. She let out a yelp and spun around, only to find herself face-to-face with one of the wyverns. The great beast looked up at her innocently, as if it was pretending that it hadn't in fact been poking at her bag a moment before.

"Hyperion!" a voice came from a few stalls down. "No!"

Florina turned to see Heath hurrying towards them. He gave Hyperion a gentle but firm nudge. "Don't nose at her like that," he said sternly. "You wouldn't like oats anyway."

Florina hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I thought Hyperion would eat anything."

Heath looked at her, thinking. "Well... yeah, he would," he sighed. "But he wouldn't _like_ it."

Florina giggled softly. "So, Heath... what are you doing here?"

Heath suddenly realized how close to her he was standing, and took a hurried step back. "Sorry, I was just thinking I'd check on Hyperion. If you want, I can go and..."

"No, it's OK," Florina replied. She patted Huey. "You go ahead."

Heath hesitated, but nodded after a while. "Well, if you're sure."

He turned to Hyperion's stall. As large as the stables of Feran were, they—like most any stables outside of Bern—were designed for horses, not wyverns. They had to take out the wall between two stalls to give Hyperion and Umbriel enough room, but once they did that, the wyverns were quite comfortable. Umbriel, whom Vaida had been pushing as hard as ever, was fast asleep. Hyperion had been sleeping too, but awoke when he heard Florina feeding her own mount.

Heath gave the wyvern a pat and spoke to him in soothing tones. "Come on, boy. You've had a long day. Better get some sleep while you can."

Watching the rider and his mount, Florina was reminded of the similarities between pegasi and wyverns. They were worlds apart in some ways, to be sure, but in they end, they were both mounts, and had to be treated with the same respect and care as a horse.

Heath let out a sigh. "All right, fine." He reached into his own bag and produced a piece of meat; he gave it to the wyvern, who immediately lay his head down, chewing appreciatively.

"That should keep him satisfied for a while," Heath said, stepping back from the stall. "Sorry about him poking you earlier."

"It's OK," Florina responded, smiling. "Huey's the same way sometimes." She looked up at him for a moment; when she spoke again, it was slowly and carefully. "Um... Heath?"

"Yeah?"

"It's... um, it's still... how are you feeling, right now?"

He shrugged, furrowing his brow slightly at her behavior. "OK, I guess. A little tired from marching all day, but not too much. Why do you ask?"

"Well... if you're n-not too tired, and... w-well, it's still light out, so I was..."

Heath tried not to roll his eyes as he realized they weren't in any danger of finishing their conversation soon. But it was odd; Florina was usually better at speaking than this, even to him.

"I w-was wondering," she continued, "i-if you'd like to... go on a walk... with me?"

That, he had not been expecting. "E-excuse me?" he asked, stammering himself now.

"I mean, i-if you..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Heath said, holding up his hand. "I... uh... aren't you... you know... don't you have trouble with... guys? Like me?"

She lowered her eyes and nodded. "Yeah... y-yeah, I do." She took a breath. "But... you're not like the others. I haven't known you as long as Sain, or Kent, or Wil... but you've been flying alongside Fiora and I for a while now... Farina too, since she joined... a-and I kind of..." She took a step closer. "I kind of feel... close to you. I mean, closer than other men..." She shook her head. "I-I'm sorry... I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Heath shook his head. "No... I mean, yes, you... you're making sense." He lowered his eyes. "Perfect sense."

She looked up at him hopefully. "So... would you like to...?"

Heath was silent for a long moment. She tried to look him in the eyes, to see what he was thinking, but he was a blank to her. At last, he looked up at her—and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "I can't. I have... things I need to do."

"Oh." Her face fell. "Well... maybe later...?"

"No," he said. "I'm sorry, Florina, I can't. I..." he took a step backward. "I need to go."

"Heath..."

He turned and left without another word, all but running from her. As soon as he was gone, she slumped against the wall and felt tears welling up into her eyes. The first time she had let herself get that close to a man, and she screwed it up so completely...

"Florina?"

She stopped instantly. Looking up, she found herself facing her older sister, peeking around the stable door. Fiora's eyes were wide in shock.

"Fiora!" Florina scrambled to get up. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't hear you... what are you..."

"You had been in here a while, so I came to check on you, and..." she shook her head. "Florina, did I just hear what I think I heard?"

Florina went rigid. "...what do you mean?"

"Florina..." Fiora pursed her lips and shut her eyes for a moment, then asked with determination, "Florina, do you love Heath?"

The younger pegasus knight's eyes widened. "I-I never said that!"

"But you were thinking it, weren't you?" Fiora responded, coming a bit closer. "Everything you said to him..."

"It's all true! He's... he's a good man, Fiora. He's flown with us all this time, and he's protected me, and..."

"Florina, you've only known him for a few months! You don't know everything about him. And you certainly don't know enough to care about him!'

"And why not?" Florina felt her shock giving way to anger. "What does it matter if I _do_ care about him?!"

"Because he'll hurt you!"

"You don't know that!"

"And you know that he won't?!"

"I-! No! But that's not the point!" Florina was shouting now. "What difference does it make?! If I love Heath, that's none of your business!"

Fiora fell silent, her mouth hanging open. Florina instantly regretted saying that, and part of her wanted to take it back. Instead, however, she turned around and stormed out of the stable, leaving her speechless sister behind.

Before long, she heard people talking. "...west, and Sain can go east. Wil, search the area north of the fort; it's heavily wooded, so keep your eyes open. I'll go south."

She rounded the corner of the fort to see Lyn talking to Kent, Sain, and Wil. "We'll meet back here in one hour," she was saying. "If you find him, try and bring him back here. If you can't, call for one of the others. As long as he's not too far from the fort, someone should be able to hear."

"Why wouldn't we be able to bring him back?" Sain asked.

Lyn lowered her eyes. "Eliwood may very well not want to be found," she said. "But we'll worry about that later. Once we know where he is, we'll decide what to do."

"Eliwood's missing?"

The others gave a start at the sound of Florina's voice. Lyn looked up at her. "Florina! Er... yes. We can't find him."

"I'll help," Florina said immediately.

"It's all right," Lyn replied, shaking her head. "We should be able to..."

"I can look from the air," she said. "I'll cover more ground and make better time. If he's not visible from the air, one of you will spot him; if he is, we'll find him sooner if I help."

Lyn hesitated. "You sure? It's been a long day. If you want, you can rest."

Florina shook her head. "I'm no more tired than any one of you. And Huey's restless; it'll do him good to get some more exercise." She lowered her eyes. "And I... I'd like to get away from the fort for a while, if you don't mind, Lyn."

Lyn's gaze was confused, but understanding. "All right," she said. "We could use another pair of eyes, after all. Spiral out from the fort, and see if you can find him."

"I will." Florina turned, but hesitated as she realized she needed to go back to the stable. Nevertheless, she set her jaw and marched forward. It didn't matter, though; Fiora had already left by the time she got back.


	7. Anticipation

_8:47 PM_

_Six weeks prior_

Another arrow whizzed overhead, another messenger of death Priscilla felt she had just barely managed to duck, even though it missed her by a few feet. She spurred her horse on, ever faster, arriving by Erk's side right as the berserker took another swing at him. The mage managed to step out of the way as magic began pulsing in the air around him; a flash of light was the only warning the enemy got as a bolt of electricity rent the sky asunder, striking him head-on.

Priscilla's hand flew over her face, shielding her eyes from the bright flash. When she finally dared to lower it, she was amazed to see the man still standing there, though weakened. He raised his ax and let out a cry. Erk stepped back, hoping he could stay alive long enough to cast another spell. Priscilla, on the other hand, lifted her arm in the air and swung it forward; a small sphere of flame appeared above her head, and suddenly raced to the ground, hitting the enemy axeman once more. Her attack was weaker than Erk's had been, but it was still enough, as the berserker fell to his knees, and then to the ground.

Erk's nose wrinkled against the smell of scorched flesh as he turned to Priscilla. "Thank you," he said. "You're learning anima magic well."

"Are you all right?" she asked. "I saw he had hit you, and came over as fast as I could."

Erk glanced down at the slowly-growing bloodstain on his robes, where the berserker had managed to graze his side.. "It's nothing," he said. "It'll heal on its own."

"Nevertheless," Priscilla said, raising her staff.

Erk sighed, and nodded. "Very well." He held still as the light from her staff enveloped him; when it vanished, he looked up with a much stronger face. "Thank you, milady."

"Of course, Erk," she said, smiling at his praise. "Do you need anything else?"

Erk turned around to examine the battlefield; the enemy's numbers were dwindling, but there were still a few more out there. "No," he replied, "I can handle this. You should go help the others."

Before she could say anything, he had started toward the next enemy. She let out a soft sigh, and turned her own steed. She decided that, now that things were beginning to wind down, it would be a good idea to search for others who were injured. The last thing they needed was to lose someone now.

A string of mumbling caught her attention, and she looked over to see Serra sitting on a rock nearby. There was a small cut in her leg; it didn't look bad, but the priestess was doubled over with her staff, grumbling at the injury under her breath. Priscilla crossed over to her. "Are you all right, Serra?" she asked.

The cleric jumped up, surprised. "Priscilla! Er... I'm fine. Really. I can take care of this."

"You know healing staves won't work on the one using them."

Serra sighed, looking dejectedly at the staff in her hand. "I know," she said. "I don't need this, though. I can heal a wound without magic."

"Oh," Priscilla said. "So you have a vulnerary, then?"

"Well... no. But I don't need it, right? I can treat this on my own." She peered down at her leg. "Somehow."

Priscilla smiled a little. "Perhaps I could help...?"

"No!" Serra shouted abruptly. "...No, that won't be necessary. I can handle this on my own."

Priscilla nodded. "Well, in that case," she said, "Perhaps you can help me?"

Serra blinked. "...How?"

"Since I learned Anima magic, I fear I've been neglecting my skills with the staff," Priscilla explained. "I fear I may be losing my touch."

Serra nodded, though her expression conveyed only a little comprehension. "Yes, well... it's not easy for all of us. I manage to practice both my light magic and healing magic with only the utmost care, after all."

"Well," Priscilla went on, lifting her staff, "If you don't mind, I was hoping I could heal you. To make sure I can still handle it, you see."

Serra thought for a moment. "All right," she said at last, "If you must. Go right ahead."

Priscilla held the staff forward, letting the glow of its magic envelope Serra's leg. While the cleric tried to look indifferent, Priscilla still spotted her soft smile and heard her contented sigh as the wound on her leg closed up.

"There," Priscilla said, stepping back. "How was that?"

Serra examined the wound with mock indifference. "Well, you did a fair job. Not the best I've ever seen, but at least you know there's room for improvement, right?"

"Indeed." Priscilla smiled at the cleric. "Thank you, Serra."

The priestess hesitated before returning her companion's grin. "No, Priscilla. Thank you."

* * *

_8:47 PM_

The wooden training dummy was absolutely motionless, but in Guy's mind, it was ducking, weaving, coming closer to snuffing out his life with each swing of its nonexistent blade. He, in turn, was even faster. Even if the dummy was a live opponent, he would have only appeared a vague blur as he whipped about it, his blade swishing past arms, neck, chest. He lifted his sword as if to parry a blow, thrust his imaginary enemy's blade upwards, took advantage of the opening to deliver a swift kick, jumped forward, blade held high, and at the last second, spun around and placed the sword's edge against Matthew's neck.

The spy let out a startled cry, although his backwards dodge was quite graceful. "Whoa, hold on, Guy!" he called, holding his arms up non-threateningly. "It's just me!"

"I know_,_" Guy said, smirking.

The thief stood still. "So, you gonna put the blade down, or…?"

"Hold on," Guy responded. "I'm thinking."

Matthew sighed, put his arms down, and walked towards Guy. "All right. Nice swordplay, good senses, very impressive, yadda yadda. Joke's over."

"I guess it is," Guy said, lowering the sword. "You do know that this sword is only wood, right?"

"Yes," Matthew replied instantly, not giving Guy any time to tell if he was lying or not. "What kind of spy do you think I am?"

"An easily frightened one," Guy responded, smiling.

Matthew ignored that. "Although I am impressed you were able to hear me," he said. "Too bad you didn't have that kind of luck a few weeks ago, eh?"

"I'm not one to depend on luck," Guy sighed. He turned around and leveled the blade at the dummy once more. "I'm one to practice my sword arm and train my senses. If luck helps me out on the way, so be it. But if it doesn't, I'm not about to let bad luck get me killed."

"Translation: after I kicked your sorry behind when you challenged me, you've taken precautions to ensure you're never caught off-guard again."

Guy smiled. "Yes. That too."

Matthew studied his companion, who was just watching the dummy. Guy simply stood there for the longest time before the thief chose to speak up. "If you're waiting for him to make the first move, Guy, I hate to tell you this, but..."

Guy let out a chuckle, lowering his blade and turning back to his friend. "Just planning my attack," he explained.

"Yes. It takes careful planning with these dummies. You never know what they're going to do, so you need to prepare for every possibility."

Guy crossed his arms. "I see that I'm in no danger of actually getting any training done today," he said.

"Why are you even training?" Matthew asked, deciding it was safe to come closer. "I mean, I don't think that hacking away at a dummy is going to improve your chances in battle _that_ much."

"Ever little bit helps," the myrmidon sighed, putting down his sword and sitting. "Besides, this isn't about battle. I'm sparring with Lyn tonight, and I want to be sure I'm at my peak."

Matthew arched an eyebrow. "You're sparring against Lyn?"

"Yeah." Guy cocked his head. "In fact... didn't I tell you that already?"

"Yes, you did—about an hour ago. You're still practicing for that? I thought you'd have either done it by now or given up."

Guy shrugged. "Lyn said there was something she needed to take care of first. I told her I'd wait here, and I might as well practice while I wait."

"Something she needed to take care of?" Matthew sat down as well, his curiosity piqued. "Any idea what it is?"

"No, but I saw Kent talking to her. They both seemed pretty agitated."

Matthew nodded. "Kent, hmm..."

"No."

"Oh, come on! You don't even know what I'm thinking!"

"Yes, I do. You think Lyn and Kent have slipped off together somewhere, and are wondering how you can use that to your advantage."

"You really think I'm that single-minded?" Matthew grumbled. "That I'm really so one-dimensional that my only defining characteristic is my relative lack of scruples?"

Guy thought about it for a moment. "Well... yeah."

The spy let out a heavy sigh. "Some friend you are."

"Friend?" Guy almost burst out laughing. "Right! Because attacking me in my sleep just smacks of 'friendship,' doesn't it?"

"At least you got something out of it," Matthew pointed out. "I mean, I couldn't sneak up on you just now, could I? You're learning."

"Yes," Guy answered. "I'm learning not to trust you anymore."

"Come on!" Matthew prompted. "You don't think it's the slightest bit suspicious? The beautiful princess and her loyal knight, nowhere to be found?"

"How do you know they're nowhere to be found if you haven't looked?" Guy asked.

"Well, why hasn't she showed up, then?" Matthew replied, crossing his arms.

"How am I supposed to know? We didn't say when we would fight. I'm just waiting for her."

"For over an hour!"

"And whatever she does in the meantime is none of my business!"

"You sure?" Matthew drew up close. "I mean, you've been trying to get some time alone with Lyn for months, and now she's off somewhere with Kent..."

Guy arched an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"I'm just sayin'," Matthew said, shrugging. "I wouldn't blame you if you were a little jealous."

Guy shut his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "It's not even _close_ to being like that, Matthew."

"Oh? All the half-written, crumpled up letters scattered about your tent addressed to her the other night weren't failed attempts at writing a love note?"

Guy's eyebrows shot up. "You read...?" He shook his head. "And you wonder why I don't trust you."

"Guy, I'm serious," Matthew said, softening his voice. "If you really care for Lyn..."

"I _don't_," Guy said. "I just want to see how I measure up to her. She's one of maybe three Sacaens here who aren't broody or crazy." He paused. "Or both."

"If you say so," Matthew sighed, shrugging. "I'm just looking out for you."

"You mean you're trying to manipulate me."

"What? No!" Matthew looked offended. "Guy, I mean it! I'm trying to make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew here. She's a princess."

"Relax," Guys sighed, turning back to the dummy. "Even if I did feel that way about somebody here, it wouldn't be Lady Lyndis."

"Ah." Guy sidled up closer. "So... there _is _someone you feel about that way here, then?"

"I wouldn't tell you if there was."

"Come on, you can trust me!" He paused for a moment. "...All right, you can't. But maybe I can help you."

"Help me?" Guy dropped his blade again, giving Matthew a bemused look. "How, exactly, do you think you could help me?"

"I'm familiar with women," Matthew answered. "I can offer you my vast stores of knowledge."

Guy let out a sigh. "I doubt any man has truly 'vast' knowledge about women," he said. "Especially this one."

"Which one?" Matthew asked, undaunted.

Guy lowered his eyes, hesitating for a long time before he spoke. "...I'm worried about the Lady Priscilla."

"Ah-ha!" Matthew cried triumphantly. "So you care about Lady Priscilla!"

"No," Guy said firmly. "...Well, yes. But not in that way. ...I doubt anyone does. And that's the problem."

Matthew cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"She stopped by earlier," Guy explained, "And when I mentioned I was sparring with Lady Lyndis, she seemed... disappointed, maybe. Jealous, even."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"But it's not just me," he continued. "Over the last few weeks, I've seen her with several men—Erk, Heath, even Sain—and none of them seemed all that interested in her."

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, rubbing out his ear, "Did you just say Sain wasn't interested in a woman?"

Guy smirked. "Weren't you the one complaining earlier about thinking someone was one-dimensional and had only one defining characteristic?"

"Touche," Matthew sighed. "Go on."

"She's a sweet girl," Guy sighed, "And I can't say I didn't feel about her that way once. But... I knew from the start that it was unlikely she was interested in me. After all, she has so many other men she could be with, and she seemed to like them so much better than I. So I decided I wouldn't pursue her. We'd be friends, nothing more."

"And now you're wondering if you've made the right choice?" Matthew asked.

Guy shook his head. "No. I know I made the right choice. We wouldn't have worked out. But now... she's lonely. And I can't bring myself to comfort her, not in the way she needs it."

Matthew pursed his lips. "So... what are you going to do about it?"

"What _can_ I do?" Guy sighed. "I can understand how she feels... final battle and all that. She needs someone. But that someone can't be me. And I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with that."

Matthew began stroking his chin. "Hmm... Priscilla's feeling lonely... You know, Guy, there may be more to this than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know just yet... but I'll look into it, see if I can find anything out."

Guy cocked an eyebrow. "Really? ...You'll try to help her?"

"Well, not in the way you're thinking of, but I'll see what I can come up with."

"...Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why are you doing this? There's nothing in it for you, leastwise not as far as I can see."

"Maybe I just feel like helping people."

"Maybe I've got a bridge to sell you."

Matthew lowered his eyes. "Look, Guy, I just... I feel like helping someone tonight. Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Yes."

The thief sighed. "I just... Like you said, this is it. The eve of the final battle. Everyone wants to be with the people they care about; everyone's looking for love."

Guy blinked, a look of understanding crossing his face. "...Leila?"

Matthew nodded grimly. "...Leila." He sighed. "Don't ask me why, but... I just want to help any way I can. For my own sake."

Guy hesitated a moment before nodding. "All right, Matthew. Good luck."

"Thanks," the spy replied as he turned to leave. "But I won't need it. I'm just that good."

He was gone before the swordsman could deliver a witty rebuttal. Matthew was soon moving through the halls of Feran with the speed and subtlety befitting someone of his profession. He honestly wasn't sure himself why he wanted to help with Guy's situation with Priscilla, but it felt like the right thing to do.

He stopped suddenly when he heard two voices down the hall a ways. Peering around the corner, he spotted Jeffrey speaking to none other than Lady Lyndis. Matthew couldn't quite make out what they were saying—he could catch a few instances of Eliwood's name, and little more—but he decided it was best to let that be for now. He entered the hallway, clearing his throat loudly enough to announce his presence. He smiled at the two of them as they turned to face him. "Good evening, Lady Lyndis. I just came from the courtyard, and..."

Lyn let out a gasp. "Guy! I'd almost completely forgotten!"

Matthew nodded. "He's waiting there for you. I wouldn't worry; he seems to be most patient."

"Even so," Lyn sighed, "If you see him again, please tell him I'll be there soon. I just need to deal with something first."

"I would, but I doubt I'll be seeing him again soon. I have another... _project_ I need to work on." He turned to the tactician. "On the subject of which, Jeffrey, would you like to help me? I could use a hand."

The tactician glared at him. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"

Lyn also cast the thief a disapproving glance. "That was in extremely poor taste, Matthew."

"No! No!" the thief cried defensively, throwing up his arms. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry, I didn't think about what I was saying well enough."

"Clearly," Jeffrey grumbled, but he followed it up with a sigh. "It's all right, Matthew, I understand it was an accident. What do you need help with?"

"Come with me," the spy answered, turning to go up some nearby stairs. "I'll explain on the way."


End file.
